Kanika Goyal, who is one of the UPSC CSE 2022 toppers this year has been the rock for her parents being their only child. She has always wanted to make them proud and that has been the driving force behind her notching AIR-9 cracking the UPSC Civil Service Examination on her second attempt!
Indian Masterminds exclusively spoke with her to know more about her journey thus far.
CHILDHOOD DREAM
Hailing from Kaithal in Haryana, Kanika first dreamt of becoming an IAS officer when she was in seventh grade. It’s been 10 years, but things fell into place just as she wanted. She attended Hindu Girls Senior Secondary School in Kaithal before graduating from Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi.
Her parents supported her throughout. She believes her outstanding rank is not hers, but her parents, as without their help and guidance, she could not have been able to achieve such a score.
“IAS gives you the opportunity to work on the ground level and achieve beautiful results that put smiles on many faces. This notion has always been my motivation to crack the CSE,” she shared.
Just like Ishita (AIR-1), Kanika also chose PSIR as her optional subject as she knew she has a strong hold over the subject.
MAKE IT RIGHT
Kanika reached the Interview stage of the UPSC CSE 2021 examination after her first attempt but did not make the final list. She adjusted her preparation plan and chose the reasoning and elimination technique.
She decided to push her scores and worked accordingly on all her subjects, especially her optional. The value addition and the way she framed her answers worked for her, and helped her to not only score more marks in all the stages of the exam but also achieve a whooping rank!
“I didn’t take any offline coaching but I did sign up for online webinars and a few crash courses,” she told Indian Masterminds.
A POETRY FANATIC
“I’m Meant to Fly” was the poem Kanika delivered in front of the interviewing panel that may have sealed the deal with fate. The panellists were quick to seek her perspective on the great poet Mirza Ghalib’s poem “Udne do inn parindo ko…”
They also asked if an organisation should let their subordinates have their own aspirations and try their luck elsewhere even though they are required in the job.
Kanika said: “Yes, diligence and discipline go along together, in an organization. The subordinates should also have a platform to raise their voices and give their suggestions, which is prominent in big offices such as Google, among others, thus marking them successful.”
AN UNBELIEVABLE MOMENT
Kanika was quite nervous on the day the results were announced. She intended to search for her position on the list using her unique roll number rather than her name (since many people can share the same name).
As she was typing in her roll number, she could see her name in the top 10 from the corner of her eye but she still kept typing.
“I verified it several times if my name and roll number are matching or not…if it’s actually true that I have made my space in the top 10! I was elated to see my rank and immediately hugged my parents. They had tears of joy in their eyes and no other feeling could have been better than that moment,” she told Indian Masterminds.
Kanika plans to contribute to the betterment of the country, now that she’ll soon become an IAS officer. She wishes to be part of the development for India@2047 and give her best to the ‘Amrit Kaal’.
HER MESSAGE
Kanika has a wonderful message for the upcoming aspirants and also for the ones who were not able to crack the CSE this year. She shared, “Everyone has their own potential. I couldn’t clear it last time and finally achieved my dream this year. Everyone who has qualified for the interview is actually on the same platform.”
“It’s just a matter of a couple of marks, so they shouldn’t feel subdued by the result. In fact, it should be a source of their strength and a stepping stone to success, just like when you throw a ball hard on the ground, it comes back upwards with even more force. You should do the same too!” she signs off.
